Publication Date

Spring 5-4-2020

Document Type

Action research project: Open access

Degree Name

MA Higher Education Leadership

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how relationships between international students and study abroad returnees can further global education throughout the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) community. My overarching question was: how can I, as an advisor at the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO), create a program that fosters cross-cultural interaction between international students and study abroad returnees? A secondary question was: how can these interactions help cultivate the intercultural competencies of both parties? Using O’Leary’s Cycles of Action Research as a guiding framework, I conducted one pre-cycle, a needs assessment, and three cycles of data collection: observation of three existing programs, informational interviews with six UCSD staff, and a student survey. For the final cycle, I created a program focused on connecting international students and study abroad returnees. The program included forging connections between the two target communities by building upon their intercultural understanding and knowledge while creating new, meaningful relationships. As a result of this study, I was able to better understand the existing global education programs and resources for international students and study abroad returnees at UCSD and to develop recommendations on how to better utilize these communities in future discussion toward increasing globalization efforts throughout the campus.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a CC BY License.

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